


Lilac

by Stregatrek



Category: Sky High
Genre: F/F, F/M, Femslash, First Kiss, Rarepair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 07:59:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16991100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stregatrek/pseuds/Stregatrek
Summary: Layla can't stop thinking of Magenta





	Lilac

**Author's Note:**

  * For [queerchickadee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/queerchickadee/gifts).



> I got waaaay too caught up in this. Meant it to be a lot shorter!  
> A gift for Queerchickadee as part of our rarepair collection  
> Here's the playlist to accompany the fic! Hope you like it :)  
> http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD9n0zu78Oc5rFYm5Dpi5JqL6EFqQ_25z

Magenta didn’t always say much, and Layla got that. Tonight, though, they’d been talking non-stop for hours, both a little drunk, Magenta playing with Layla’s hair. Layla liked it. She really, really liked it. She blinked and an hour had gone by, her arm numb where it was trapped behind Magenta’s back. Magenta’s hand with its chipped black and purple nails was sitting unacknowledged on Layla’s knee. Her head tipped back to rest against the couch, tired. Magenta’s head did too, and she turned it to smile at Layla.  


Layla found herself frozen in that moment as surely as though ice girl had gotten her. The music of the party and the low lighting (which was just Zach glowing) blurred into a pleasant background, and Layla smiled. Her fingertips were tingling, and so, somehow, was the space between her and Magenta. The air between where their eyes met and their mouths smiled seemed charged, though Layla had never met anyone with a superpower like that. Maybe it was the alcohol. Or maybe one of them had developed a new power. She was going to mention it, but then the moment dragged on, and Magenta looked so happy, and Layla felt so content, and…  


The next thing she knew, she was being shaken awake. Magenta’s head was on her shoulder, and Layla’s arm was still around the other girl’s back. “Layla,” Will was whispering. “Layla!”  


“Hm?” She moved her head slowly, looking for him. “Oh.” She smiled. “Hey Will, what’s up?”  


“Party’s over,” Will said. “Everyone’s gone. Or asleep.”  


“Wha’ time is it?” She squinted at the clock across the room. Shame her power wasn’t seeing in the dark, she thought, and then immediately rescinded the notion. She loved her power. Will was saying something again. “Hm?”  


“‘bout midnight,” he repeated. “Man, I didn’t tell my parents I’d be out this late.”  


“They know who you’re with,” Layla yawned. “They know you’re fine. We’re all cool here,” She gestured vaguely at those left in the room. Namely, Zach trying to fit his entire body on a couch that was about two feet too short, and Ethan in puddle-form on the ground beside him. “Lessgo home,” She said, pushing herself to her feet and carefully tugging her arm away from Magenta. As the other girl shifted in her sleep, Layla was tempted to kiss her forehead. Instead, she unfolded the blanket on the back of the couch and covered her friend with it.  


“‘Kay,” Will said, offering her his hand. “C’mon, let’s get Warren,”  


“Yeah,” Layla yawned again. “Where’d he go?”  


Will guided her toward the back of the house. “Moping in the kitchen.”  


“I’m not moping, Stronghold,” Warren snapped in a whisper. “Are you finally ready to go?”  


Will nodded. “Yeah. Come on- wanna fly?”  


“Not if you’re carrying me.”  


So they walked, Layla and Will holding hands while Warren elected to shove his in his jacket pockets. Will and Warren continued an argument Layla guessed they’d been having all night. Save the citizen strategy- they were already an undefeated team, but they both thought they could be better. They just disagreed on how. Their bickering was easy to tune out.  


Layla thought of Magenta. Her thoughts were as blurry as the hours at the party had been. It had been so good to talk to her friend for so long. And she had really liked the feeling of Magenta’s hand in her hair, sometimes on her knee. Layla shivered.  


They dropped Warren off at the nearest bus stop that would take him home. “Sure you don’t want us to wait with you?” Layla asked.  


Warren shook his head. “Thanks, but the bus schedule says it’ll be here in five. I’m good.” His right arm glowed threateningly. “What can happen?”  


Will laughed. “Fair enough. Alright. See you Monday?”  


“See you Monday.” Warren agreed. “Going to sleep through tomorrow?”  


“I’m going to try. You should too.”  


“Nah, I got work.”  


“Maybe we’ll come see you then! Or, well, Layla might.”  


Layla laughed. “Will really is going to sleep through tomorrow, you know. But I’ll probably come by, especially if mom works late.”  


“Cool, see you.” Warren said.  


“Bye,” Will waved, backing up to go as Layla hugged Warren good night. She turned to catch up with Will.  


“Did you have a good time at the party?” She asked.  


“Yeah,” Will yawned and then nodded enthusiastically. “Danced for a minute, played some video games with Zach, talked to Warren. How about you?”  


Magenta’s eyes were beautiful. Her laugh made warmth bloom in Layla’s chest. “I had a good time, too.” Layla said. “I got to talk to Magenta for a while. It was really really nice.”  


“Good,” Will smiled. “Hey, are you happy walking, or…?”  


Layla laughed. “OK, Stronghold. Let’s fly,”  


Will picked her up and they were off, only a few blocks to go. Layla loved it. All the trees were starting to bloom, and though the night air was cold there were warm breezes creeping in. Layla was looking forward to the warmer months ahead. “What are you thinking about?” Will asked.  


“Summer,” Layla answered, holding tight as Will banked hard around the corner to her house. She wondered if Magenta got freckles in the summer.  


“I’m looking forward to it too,” Will smiled. “Want me to put you down on the sidewalk, or in through your window?”  


Layla twisted to look. “My mom’s light is still on; sidewalk please.”  


“You got it.” Will dropped, alighting gently. “Good night, Layla- text me in the morning?”  


“Of course,” Layla smiled, and he kissed her good night. “Night, Will.” She watched him fly away before she unlocked her front door. “Hi, mom!” She called.  


“Hi, sweetie!” Her mom called back. Layla heard the bedroom door open, and their rescue dog came pattering down the hall on three paws to greet her. “How was the party?”  


Her mom was smiling and hugged her hello. She hoped Will and Warren were getting as warm a welcome. “It was really good!” Layla said. “Zach glowed, of course, which isn’t as good as a disco ball, but hey. And I got to talk to Magenta for a while. It was really nice,”  


“Good,” Her mom said, then tilted her head to listen to Maathai. “You smell like Zach’s cat.” She chuckled. “Come on, let’s get you some water and protein before you go to bed.”  


“Thanks, mom,” Layla followed her to the kitchen and sat at the counter, enjoying talking to her mom while she sipped her water and ate her refried beans.  


She woke up late on Sunday, stretching under her quilted cover. In her dream, the party hadn’t ended, but the slight bad taste in her mouth reminded her that she’d fallen asleep at home, in bed, having forgotten to brush her teeth. Layla rolled over and reached for her phone. She sent good morning texts to Will and Warren, and paused with her finger over Magenta’s name. Her breath left her slowly. She smiled and bit her lip. She locked her phone screen and held it to her chest. It buzzed, and she almost dropped it on her face as she opened it. Will had replied ‘morning!’ And a moment later his second text- ‘want 2 go 2 paper lantern 2nite?’  


‘let me c what my mom is doing 2night. Probably yes.’ Layla went back to her conversation with Magenta, scrolling through. Mostly it was talk about the day at school, jokes, funny pictures. Layla smiled at one Magenta had sent of Zach giving away his hide-and-seek spot in the bushes by glowing. She must have thought of and dismissed fifty ideas for what to say this morning before she aimed her camera out the window and took a grainy shot of the sun, a tiny dot on her bad phone camera. ‘I slept HOW L8??’ She captioned it. Send. Then she opened the messages she’d been ignoring. Warren saying hello, Will’s chain of smiley faces, and a text from her mom saying she’d be gone until nine and there was water on the counter. Layla texted back, ‘what r u doing until 9??’ and sent Will a text to let him know she’d be free.  


She rolled over and sat up. Her mom’s text came back- her vet clinic was partnering with the local no-kill shelter and having a fundraiser dinner. Layla felt badly that she hadn’t woken up earlier; she liked helping her mom pick out outfits for those fancy dinners. Still- dinner with Will at the Paper Lantern, teasing Warren if there weren’t many other customers. That sounded like as good a Sunday night as any.  


‘Yay!’ Her phone buzzed with Will’s reply. ‘Study sesh b4?’  


‘Yeah!’  


‘Lemme shower lol’  


Layla smiled. ‘Me 2. C u in 30?’  


‘:)’  


Layla stood up, stretching and yawning. Her little bonsai in the corner was looking nice, and she gave it a little wave. The flowers Will had gotten her- potted, of course, not cut- were faring less well, but they were getting less sunlight. Layla freshened them up and moved them to the windowsill for the day. She showered quickly, lingering for just a second over the echo sensation of Magenta’s fingers in her hair as she washed it. Then a quick blow dry, a simple braid, long dress and light sweater, and she went downstairs to find brunch before heading to Will’s. Her phone buzzed as she walked. Magenta sent back a picture of her pillow, makeup smeared in a face-shaped indent. ‘Do u think if I shift my hangover will get smaller too’  


Layla smiled. ‘Worth a shot.’  


‘Dont talk abt shots,’  


‘Sorry! Feel better!’  


‘Im gonna sleep more. Should help. Ttyl,’  
* 

Monday, Mr. Boy gave them a pop quiz. Layla only kept her gaze off Magenta because she didn’t want Mr. Boy to think she was cheating. Tuesday at lunch Magenta sat closer than she normally did, if only by a few inches. Layla wanted to reach over and touch her hair. She could see it playing out like a music video. Wednesday class was loud, because it was review day. Mr. Boy shot down answers ranging from ridiculous to stupid, but when he read the questions the students responded in kind. Layla always tried not to laugh at Mr. Boy, but Magenta was whispering jokes across the gap between their desks and she was so funny. Thursday went by too fast, and when she thought about it as she brushed her hair for bed all she could remember was doing one class’ homework in the back of another, sitting with Magenta at lunch and listening to her jokes, smelling her perfume. Friday was even worse, watching Magenta throughout Mr. Boy’s class, following close to her in the hallways between classes, hovering near her at break, sitting with her at lunch. Will and Warren walked her home, and while they had their own conversation Layla could feel their eyes on her. She tried to pull herself back to reality and only half succeeded. All the trees they walked by burst into bloom, the shrubbery crawling out of its carefully-planned beds, even weeds taking firmer root. “You seem happy,” Warren said, pulling his hair out of a tree branch that had spontaneously grown long enough to bump him.  


“I am,” Layla agreed. “Life is... Life is just really nice, right now, you know?” She looped one arm through each of theirs. “It’s been a good day.”  


“I’m glad.” Will kissed her on the cheek. She kissed him back.  


Sunday night, Layla sat on her bed, doing her sidekick homework. Sometimes, reading the condescending questions, she almost wished she’d let them move her to hero class after homecoming. But then, no she didn't. Her CD stopped and she got up to put a new one on, checking the time as she did so. Nearly nine- no wonder she was tired. Almost done… She leaned back against the wall and read the next question. Oh- they’d gone over this in class. Magenta had laughed at it. Layla smiled. She could see Magenta’s sarcastic smile again, going softer as the shapeshifter looked at her, leaning across the space between their desks, hair swinging forward, eyes closing… Layla jerked awake into the silence, clock on her CD player showing ten thirty. Oh, no. Layla sat up and flipped over the last page. Just two problems left, okay. She rubbed her neck and let down her hair from its buns. If your hero is locked in combat with their archenemy, do you… She woke up in the morning still wearing her clothes and rolled her eyes at herself, yawning as she made her way into the shower. Wrapped in a towel, she freshened up the flowers in the hallway and called good morning to her mom downstairs. It didn't take her long to finish scribbling an answer to the essay question on the last page, and she’d picked out an outfit for the day when she’d gotten home the night before. The weather was finally getting warm again- finally. The winter was not her favorite season- though Warren had liked it. She smiled. Hair brushed and pushed back with cute clips, boots laced up and sweater tied around her waist just in case, Layla put her books and homework back in her bag and hurried downstairs. She let her mom kiss her on the cheek and waved goodbye, rushing over to Will’s house.  


“Morning, Layla!”  


“Good morning, Mrs. Stronghold,” Layla smiled. “How are your roses doing?”  


Josie smiled. “Oh, much better since you had a look at them. Will!” She called up the stairs. “Layla’s here!”  


“Coming!” Will yelled back, flying down the stairs with one shoe only half on. “Sorry. Had to finish some homework.”  


“Me too,” Layla laughed. “I kept falling asleep in the middle of a problem last night, it was weird. I guess I must have been really tired.”  


“I won’t tell Mr. Boy,” Will joked. “It was probably all that citizen-saving you did Friday.”  


“Save the Citizen?” Mr. Stronghold came in, holding a long roll of spiked cable.  


“Steve! Get Thorn Threat out of the kitchen!” Josie admonished.  


Will ignored them. “Yeah, Layla and Warren really kicked my butt on Friday,”  


“Huh,” Mr. Stronghold kept trying to wrap the coil around the back of his chair. “And who were you paired with?”  


“You remember the guy with six arms?”  


“Oh, yeah. Well, that sounds like a winning team- beat you anyway, though, huh?”  


“Yeah. Yeah, they were really good. Um, we’d better go though or we’ll miss the bus.”  


Josie waved. “Have a good day!”  


“Thanks, Mrs. Stronghold!” Layla waved back as Will pulled her out the door.  


“Sorry about my dad,” Will said, ducking his head as they walked to the bus stop. “He doesn’t get how a kid with two powers can be bad at anything. Never mind that I wanted to play opposite Warren for once- helps, you know?”  


“He hasn’t seen Warren play Save the Citizen,” Layla laughed, taking Will’s hand. “It’s okay, Will. I like your parents- and I know your dad doesn't mean anything by it. He’s just proud of you. He thinks you're the best at everything.”  


Will squeezed her hand carefully. “Thanks, Layla. You did really good though, I’m glad you decided to use your powers. The vines were impossible to get out of,” he chuckled.  


The bus pulled up and the new bus driver nodded seriously to them both. Layla smiled back. She missed Ron Wilson, though she’d heard he was doing well post-toxic waste. They went to their seats, next to each other with Will at the window. Layla smiled across the aisle at Magenta. “Hi,”  


“Hey,” Magenta made that face Layla had never seen anyone else make. It was really subtly friendly without being a smile. On anyone else, Layla might have thought they didn’t like her. Maybe she should stop jumping to that conclusion, she told herself.  


“Hey, man,” Zach leaned over to talk to Will. “I think my glow is getting brighter.”  


“Really?” Will made an effort to sound impressed, though Zach had been saying the same thing for two weeks.  


“Yeah, man. Definitely. I lit up, like, the whole street last night.”  


“He did,” Ethan stuck his head over the seat. “It was very cool.”  


“Everyone sit down!” The bus driver called. “Sky High up next!” Ethan sank back into his seat, and they all cheered as the bus leapt off the half-finished road. Layla looked at Magenta’s face, laughing. She smiled, wanting to hug herself tight with joy. Magenta was… beautiful. She looked so happy, as the bus unveiled jets and powered off to Sky High. Layla kissed Will goodbye at the door and followed Zach and Magenta off to sidekick class, watching Magenta’s hair sway as she walked.  


Monday after school was Will's weekly “hero” extra-curricular field trip (how Ron Wilson, chaperoning, had gotten close enough to toxic waste to fall in in the first place) and while Layla was usually more than happy by herself or with her friends, she felt oddly distracted. Wandering around town, she wound up at the mall. Not somewhere she usually went, especially not alone, but there was plenty to see there and not much to see elsewhere. So she bought herself a smoothie and settled down to skim her textbooks and answer texts from her friends. Magenta had sent her a guinea-pig perspective photo of her textbook, on the floor of her bedroom. Layla had been there before, but for some reason it sent a slight shiver up her spine. She smiled and sent back a picture of her own textbook, three pages ahead. ‘Get on my level,’ she teased.  


‘Guinea pigs read slow! The words are so big!’ Magenta sent back.  


Layla smiled. Vaguely people-watching and mostly marking pages for closer study later, she managed to kill an hour. Not nearly as long as she would have liked, but if she started walking home soon she’d only beat her mom by a half hour or so, and then they could talk and spend some time together. Her mom was a good listener, Layla knew, but she still hadn’t been able to talk to her directly about Magenta. With a quiet sigh, she packed away her books and screwed the lid tightly on her reusable cup, reminding herself to wash it when she got home. On her way out, she happened to see some purple tights on one of the racks just inside one of the smaller shops. Impulsively, she bought them- they weren’t the exact shade of purple Magenta usually favored, but hopefully her friend would like them anyway. Layla held them as she walked home, thinking about Magenta and not thinking at all. Feeling about Magenta.  


When she got home, her mom was already there. “Hey, sweetie! How are you?”  


“I’m… Good.” Layla said. “You're home early!”  


“Yeah, I decided to head out a little early today, spend some extra time with you. Anything special you want to do tonight?”  


“Sorry I didn’t come right home,” Layla said. “I didn’t know you’d be here,”  


“Don’t worry about it. I would have called if I was worried.” Her mom came over to hug her. “You’re a smart girl. What’ve you got here?” She asked as their hug broke and the tights’ packaging crinkled.  


“Oh, some tights,” Layla held them out. “I just saw them and thought that Magenta might like them.”  


Her mom smiled. “That was thoughtful of you. You know, she hasn’t been over in a while, has she? Do you want to have her over for dinner tonight? Or we could go out, if you want. That Indian place has some really good aloo gobi,”  


Layla hesitated. It was nice of her mom to offer, and it did sound really fun to take Magenta out, but… What if it was weird? It hadn’t been weird at school, but they were always surrounded by friends then. It was true that Magenta hadn’t been over for a while though. What if she thought Layla was avoiding her? “Um… Yeah, that would be nice. I’d like that.”  


“Everything okay, honey?”  


“Yeah. Yeah, everything’s good, it’s just- I don’t know, I’ve been feeling weird lately.”  


“Do you want to talk about it?”  


“Kind of… But I don’t really know what to say, you know? I don’t really know how I feel.”  


“That’s okay,” her mom hugged her again. “Sometimes life is confusing. It’s just fine to not know what you want.”  


Layla hadn’t thought of it like that. What did she want? “I’ll call Magenta and see if she’s free,” she smiled and pulled out her phone. It only rang once before Magenta picked up. “Hello?” Layla shouted into the noise.  


“Let me turn the music down,” Magenta answered loudly before the background noise faded into a dull roar. “What’s up?”  


Layla found her palms were sweaty. She wiped her free hand on her jeans and crammed it into her pocket, tapping one of her feet. “Um, not much. My mom got off work early tonight and we were gonna go to dinner. Do you wanna come?”  


“That’d be rad, let me check with my dad real quick.”  


“Sure,” Layla smiled, sitting down to wait.  


Magenta only took a moment. “He said yeah,” She reported. “So should I meet you somewhere, or?”  


“No, we’ll pick you up,” Layla said, looking at her mom for confirmation. “See you in, like,”  


‘Forty five,’ her mom mouthed.  


“Forty five minutes,” Layla repeated.  


“Sounds rad,” Layla could hear Magenta smiling, and she smiled too. “See you soon!”  


“See you,” Layla hung up and put the phone down. “Thanks, mom. This is a good idea.”  


“Should be fun,” Her mom agreed. “Magenta seems like a nice girl,”  


“She is,” Layla agreed, taking her hair down and shaking it out. “I’m going to clean up a little before dinner.”  


Her mom smiled. “Do you want me to do your hair for you?”  


“Yeah,” Layla smiled. “That would be nice. Can you do a French braid like when I went to that dance in middle school?”  


Chuckling, her mom said, “sure, sweetie. Do you want anything braided into it this time?”  


Blushing, Layla answered, “That’s okay. Thank you, though,”  


“Mmhmm. Come on, bring me your brush,” Her mom sat down on the couch, and Layla went to get her brush before sitting down on the floor cross-legged. She felt like a kid again. A comforting feeling. It did something to soothe the unexpected butterflies in her stomach.  


Dinner with her mom and Magenta was nice. It was easy to talk to both of them, and they seemed to like listening to her. Magenta was funny, and her mom seemed to like her. Layla enjoyed it. She wanted to do things like this more often.  
* 

Tuesday and Wednesday were quiet. Layla kept expecting to settle down, to suddenly feel normal again, but she didn’t. Thinking of Magenta like this- feeling about Magenta like this- was the new normal, she guessed. Wednesday was the night she and Will always studied together at his house, and she was glad for that.  


“Hey, Will?”  


“Yeah?” He looked up from his homework, which was balanced on her ankles where they sat in his lap.  


Layla tapped her pencil against her notebook. “Do you ever think about kissing anyone else?”  


He laughed awkwardly. “I- I guess sometimes I think about kissing Royal Pain in the Sanctum- and then I think about what an idiot I am.”  


Layla laughed too, and swatted his arm. “No, you’re not. And not like that, I mean, anyone else now.” She put her textbook down and looked at him.  


Will seemed confused but took her question with good humor. “Don’t tell him, but I had this dream the other week where- you’re gonna laugh, this is stupid. I had this dream where after we won save the citizen Warren kissed me.”  


Layla did laugh. “Like, did he dip you?”  


“Nah, just a weird victory kiss,” Will smiled and looked down at his homework again, coughing slightly. “So, um, why do you ask? I mean, can you read dreams now?”  


“No,” Layla shook her head. “It’s just… Well, remember that party we had at Zach’s?”  


“Sure,”  


“Ever since then, I keep finding myself thinking about Magenta. About kissing her, I guess,”  


“Oh,” Will bobbed his head in an awkward nod. “Uh, well, I guess- I mean, thinking about kissing her instead of me?”  


“No,” Layla hastened to say, reaching over to squeeze his shoulder reassuringly. “No, not like in a relationship sort of way. Just in an… It might be nice, sort of way.”  


“Oh,” Will nodded. “Do you think you want to? Like really do it?”  


“I don’t know. I guess I’d like to, but I don’t want anything to be weird, you know?” Layla meant with Magenta and Will both. “I don’t want anything to change. With us,” She gestured between the two of them. “And I don’t want anything to change at school, with the others, you know? I’ve just been thinking about it a lot.”  


Eyebrows furrowed, Will nodded. “I’m glad you told me,” he said. “I think I kind of get it.” He smiled. “She’s pretty.”  


“Yeah,” Layla agreed. They looked at each other a little awkwardly for a moment and both smiled. Layla picked her textbook back up, and Will looked down at his homework.  


“Um, will you tell me, if you ever decide you feel different? Like, if you ever want to go out with her, or anything.”  


“Yeah, of course,” Layla promised. “I really would just like to kiss her, I think.”  


“Fair enough,” Will smiled. “Thanks for telling me,” He said again.  


“Of course,”  


They went back to their homework, and when they had finished Will suggested they go to the Paper Lantern. As they left they waved goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Stronghold, and Layla sent a text to her mom saying she’d be out later than she’d thought.  


Warren was working, and they passed the night teasing him and folding the napkins into bad origami. Everything was just the same as always. It was perfect.  
* 

Layla quickly realized that she’d given Will something new to tease her about. It started when they got on the bus and he took the window seat. “Sorry to take the view,” he said. “Then again,” he elbowed her, looking across the aisle at Magenta and Zach.  


“Shut up, Will Stronghold.”  


He was laughing at her, and she laughed back. He did it again at lunch, carrying her tray for her- which he never did- and setting it down by Magenta’s. “There we go.” He set his own down next to it.  


She held his hand under the table, but when Magenta went to go get more napkins she glared at him. “What are you doing?”  


“Sorry,” Will said. “I don’t know- it was funnier this morning.”  


“You were pretty funny... this morning.”  


“I’ll stop.”  


She smirked. “Mmhmm.”  


Thursday classes were weird, shuffled half-periods to make up for the fact that the whole school would have double period gym for save the citizen the next day. As a result, the heroes and sidekicks had homeroom together at the end of the day, a good time for bonding and testing team dynamics. Or so the teachers said. Layla watched Mr. Boy defer to Will's homeroom teacher, feeling bitter about it. Sidekicks served an important role, of course, but most heroes seemed to think they were annoying. She bristled at seeing Mr. Boy taken for granted and brushed off. “It’s so unfair,” She whispered to Will.  


“What is?”  


“Look how she treats Mr. Boy. I’m so tired of it.”  


Will shook his head. “Yeah. I think she had a bad sidekick once or something.”  


“That doesn’t make it okay to talk to him like that.” Layla said.  


Magenta, on her other side, raised her hand. “Mr. Boy,”  


The other teacher pointed at her. “Magenta, you have a question about the readings?”  


“It’s for Mr. Boy,” Magenta said.  


“Very well,”  


“I just wondered whether this was written by a hero or a sidekick?”  


Mr. Boy nodded. “Um, um, it was actually a- a joint effort, the book was written by a team of heroes and- and edited by a sidekick.”  


“Doesn’t sound very joint,” Layla muttered. She waved her hand. “I have a question for Mr. Boy as well,”  


“Layla,” He pointed at her.  


She flipped a page back. “Um. I… I just didn’t understand one of the questions a couple pages back,”  


“The-the bottom of the page on eighty four? Ye-es that one does tend to give a little trouble. Think about the-”  


“The wind resistance,” Layla pretended to realize. “Of course.”  


Mr. Boy looked proud. “Hey, me too,” Zach stuck his hand up. “Um, dude, what is like, the deal with this picture on page eighty six?”  


Will’s teacher started to answer, “The photo was taken-”  


“Mr. Boy?” Layla smiled politely.  


Mr. Boy looked caught off-guard, but smiled when he answered.  


Layla grinned. This was a good day.  


After class, Magenta caught her elbow. She was wearing the tights Layla had gotten her! “Hey,” She said.  


Layla smiled. “Hi,”  


“So, um, Zach’s having a party on Saturday night, do you wanna come?”  


“Um, are you going?”  


Magenta nodded. “Yeah, I am.”  


“Then sure, what time?”  


“Eight,”  


“I’ll be there,” Layla smiled. “Should I bring anything?”  


“No, you’re good. Just show up,”  


Layla felt butterflies in her chest again. “Okay,” She smiled.  


Will tapped her shoulder, smirking. “So,”  


She blushed. “Yeah?”  


“Party Saturday?”  


“Sounds like there is,” Layla nodded. “Are you free?”  


Will teased, “Am I invited? Sounded like she was just asking you,”  


“Really? I mean, no, of course you’re invited. It’s at Zach’s, obviously you’re invited. I wonder who else is going,”  


Will laughed, bumping her. She bumped back. “Wanna come over tonight?”  


“Sure, sounds good. I gotta get to mad science.” He kissed her cheek. “See you after school?” She tugged him back by the hand to kiss him again.  


“Don’t be late. See you soon,”  


“Bye,” He smiled.  


Layla turned to go to her own class, history of heroism. It was okay, the lecturer wasn’t very interesting but the subject was neat. The real downside was that it was the last class of the day, and she always worked hard to pay attention but by the end of the day it was hard. Especially with a date that night and a party coming up on the weekend.  
* 

This party looked more fun, Layla thought, than their last one had (at first). For one thing, here she knew everyone well. Ethan, Zach, Warren, Will, Magenta, even Warren’s sort-of girlfriend Katie (Ice Girl). Layla liked her, she was very chill. No power pun intended. She stood in the kitchen and talked with Katie and Warren, holding a drink and working her way up to a nice buzz. They could hear Will and Zach playing twister in the mail room. “Is the winner doing a shot?” Katie broke off the conversation to ask. “Maybe we should go out there,”  


“Eh,” Warren shrugged.  


They went back to their conversation, the difference between the lessons given on powered privacy and secret identities to hero track and sidekick track. It went on a few more minutes, listening to Ethan spin and cheer and the other boys shout good-naturedly as they played, and then Will came in to get them all. “Come on,” he said. “It's no fun just playing Zach over and over,”  


Warren folded his arms. “No way, Stronghold.”  


“Come on, Warren,” Will pulled his friend into the living room, where the furniture had been pushed against the walls to clear a good-sized space of floor in the center. Layla and Katie exchanged a smirk and followed the boys. Magenta was perched on the back of the sofa, changing the music, which was loud. Layla’s gaze lingered over her, and when Magenta met her eyes she smiled shyly.  


“Not twister, Stronghold.”  


“Who wants another drink?!” Zach interjected, breaking the staring contest.  


“Oh! Me!” Katie raised her hand.  


Warren shrugged. “Sure,”  


“Me too,” Will grinned.  


Layla finished her drink. “I’m in,”  


Zach came back with three red solo cups precariously in each hand. “Look, man, I think I have another power,” he said excitedly.  


“That is kind of amazing.” Layla took two away from him before he could spill, passing one to Magenta.  


“Thanks,” Her friend smiled. Layla smiled back, definitely not staring. Magenta was wearing the tights Layla had gotten her again.  


“On three,” Zach was saying.  


“What?”  


“One, two,”  


Will and Warren said “Three!” At the same time Zach did, and they all drank. Layla would have laughed, if she hadn’t joined them, relaxed and feeling the music beat through her rib cage. Magenta was still looking at her, she knew. She hoped she looked pretty.  


“Wow!” Katie was making a face when she finished her drink. “Alright! It’s a party now! Who wants to play twister with me? Stronghold?”  


“Okay,” Will smiled, putting his empty cup on the nearest flat surface and grabbing the spinner. “Here, Warren,”  


Layla laughed and sat down, reaching up to pull Warren and Magenta down on either side of her. Zach sprawled across the doorway to the kitchen, and Ethan folded himself neatly into an armchair. Magenta leaned against her. Layla liked that.  


“Right foot blue,” Warren said, and Will and Katie went for the same spot. Katie pushed and Will yielded, laughing. “Left foot blue.” Again the struggle, and this time Will and Katie had hold of each others’ arms, laughing and pushing. “Stronghold, no cheating.”  


“I’m not!” Will protested, wide-eyed. Layla and Magenta laughed as Katie caught him off-guard and he tipped backwards. “Dammit!”  


“Who’s my next victim?” Katie cheered. “Ethan? Zach?”  


“Sure, I’m game, I’ll go,” Zach stood up and shook himself out. “Gotta warn you, I’m killer at this game.”  


For once he was as good as his word, defeating Katie, Ethan, Will, and Katie again. Warren, good-humoredly, spun for all of them, and Layla and Magenta leaned on each other and laughed.  


“You give up?” Zach crowed as Katie fell for the second time. “I’m too good, man! Twister king right here!”  


“Yeah, yeah, you’re too good,” Will laughed. “What are we doing now? Anybody want another beer?”  


“I’m good,” Layla answered, her mind pleasantly humming along behind her feelings. This was a good night. She looked at Magenta, leaning on her shoulder. This was a really good night.  


“Yeah, I’ll take another,” Warren said.  


“Me too,” Zach added.  


“And me,” Katie nodded.  


Warren went to help Will carry, and when they returned Will asked, “What are we doing now?”  


A shrug went around the group. “Streaking,” Zach said, and everyone laughed.  


Warren cracked open his can of beer and said, straight-faced, “Homework,”  


Katie punched him in the arm. “No way,” She said over Will’s laughter.  


“How about spin the bottle?” Magenta suggested, glancing up at Layla.  


“Hey, yeah!” Katie snapped her fingers. “Who’s in?” She pushed the twister mat out of the way, scooting closer in so the group vaguely resembled a circle.  


“Uh, sure,” Ethan slipped out of the chair to the floor. “Yeah, let’s!”  


“I’m in,” Will shrugged, moving to close the gap in their circle. “Warren, Layla?”  


“Yeah,” Layla agreed, her face warm. Magenta was still leaning on her side, and everywhere they touched felt happily tingly. “Sounds fun,”  


Warren sighed. “Sounds like a game I'll regret. Fine, yeah.”  


“You don’t have to,” Layla reminded him. “You can sit out, if you want. Run the music.”  


“No,” Warren looked at Katie. “I’ll play,”  


Katie smiled. “Sounds good. How about you, Zach?”  


“Oh, yeah. Yeah, man, I’m in,”  


“Good,” Katie said smugly. “Someone grab a bottle.”  


“Got it,” Zach brought one from the kitchen and set it in the upturned lid of the twister box. “Who’s first?”  


“Me,” Will volunteered, reaching for the bottle.  


The bottle spun wildly, pushing the twister box lid sideways. “Oh, wow,” Ethan said. “Wow. My first kiss. Will Stronghold. Wow.”  


Katie, Zach, and Magenta laughed. “Go on, kiss!” Zach snickered.  


“If you’re okay with it,” Layla added.  


Ethan leaned across the circle and Will met him halfway with an awkward cheek kiss even Warren laughed at. “Oh, wow,” Ethan said again.  


“Me next!” Katie said loudly over the music, moving the bottle back to the middle of the circle and spinning.  


“Oh, cheater,” Zach laughed.  


“Physics isn’t cheating,” Katie laughed back at him, sticking out her tongue. “I just know how to spin,” She leaned across to kiss Warren.  


“Me,” Magenta volunteered, reaching for the bottle.  


The bottle swung to a stop. Layla met Magenta’s eyes, the girl with the choker already leaning forward. Layla swallowed and leaned in, left hand coming up to caress Magenta’s cheek. Her lips were soft. Layla’s eyes opened. Every plant in the room was blooming.


End file.
